A New Era for Myanmar – Trouble Ahead for Ethnic Minorities

PRIO Policy Brief

​​​​​For the first time in over half a century, Myanmar has a government with a popular mandate. Although the Myanmar armed forces still have extensive political po​​wers under the 2008 constitution, and may seriously curtail the independent action of the new government, the inauguration of President U Htin Kyaw represents a rad​​ical increase in the internal and international legitimacy of the Myanmar State.

Paradoxically, this coincides with a setback for the country’s ethnic minorities and their struggle for autonomous sta​​tus within a federal state, to be negotiated as part of a national politic​​al dialogue.